Intervening With and Improving Care for Patients at Risk for Frequent Hospital Admissions

Study Summary

Patients with frequent hospital admissions account for a disproportionate share of visits and costs. An intervention that can bridge the gap between hospital and community based care for a population of patients with frequent hospital admissions may offer both improved care and cost savings if hospital admissions can be appropriately reduced. We are now using data from our previous research to inform the development and implementation of an intervention at Bellevue Hospital, which will bridge the gap between hospital and community based care for a population of patients with frequent hospital admissions. We hypothesize that such an intervention can offer both improved care and cost savings if hospital admissions can be appropriately reduced. In this protocol we outline a strategy to pilot a small-scale intervention on a small subset of patients admitted to an urban public tertiary care safety net hospital who are defined by our study criteria as at high risk for future readmission. By piloting components of the intervention, we aim to assure the intervention functions as planned, and can deliver the needed services to high risk patients in a seamless and patient-centered manner. The purpose of this "feasibility study" is to ensure that when our intervention is implemented on a larger scale, it appropriately serves enrolled patients needs, and that we are able to effectively follow patients during the intervention period.

Primary Outcome

Number of eligible chronically homeless patients placed in transitional or permanent housing

Interventions

• OTHER Provision of extra (care coordination and management) services